


Dreadful Tower

by NerdsbianHokie



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, The team plays an RPG, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6653038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Half-living animatronics, a fear of drowning, and a Jenga tower.  A fun night off for the Warehouse agents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreadful Tower

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, right? I replaced D&D (with permission) with Dread, cause I’ve never played D&D, but I’ve played Dread.
> 
> Basics of Dread, for those who haven’t heard of it: It’s a horror RPG. There are no dice, but instead a Jenga tower. When you attempt to do something your character doesn’t know how to do, or doing something while under duress, you have to pull a Jenga block. If the Tower falls, you die. For a more in depth, I suggest Wil Wheaton's Tabletop. He explains it pretty well in the beginning of the video.

 

A joyful melody sounded.  Behind them - in front of them - above them - they couldn’t tell.  It echoed around the hall, skipping across the water, bouncing off the walls.  The only thing keeping them moving forward was the knowledge of what lay behind.

“I am never going to a theme park again,” Cordelia grumbled.  

Saber grunted in agreement, then stopped to tighten his grip around his sister’s waist.

“Fuck Disney.  Fuck Universal.  Fuck Busch Gardens,” Cordelia mumbled aimlessly, her bad foot dragging behind her as they started again.

“We’ll get out of here,” Saber said.

“Let’s go somewhere boring, like a library, or a grocery store, or a middle school.”

“I vote hospital,” Marian said from ahead of them.

“She’s smart,” Cordelia murmured.  “I’m glad she’s here.”

They reached the end of the tunnel, and came out in a large room.  The channel of water curved through the room.  Animatronics stood on both banks, moving as if the ride was operating.  The whirring of gears was audible without the music.

Cordelia stumbled as he stomach dropped.

“Guys,” she gasped.  “The music.”

Marian and Annabelle stopped and turned back to them.  They all looked around the room, eying each figure.

_Eenie-meenie-minie-mo_

The voice echoed.  Marian and Annabelle, hands clasped together, stepped to the siblings.

_Catch some tourists by the toe_

“What do we do?” Cordelia asked.

_If they holler_

“Get out of here,” Marian answered.  “Then, get out.”

_Let them go_

“How?” Annabelle asked.

_My mother said to_

“Still working on that,” Marian replied.

_Pick the very best one_

“Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

_And you_

“This is where I’m going to die.”

_Are_

“There has got to be a way.”

_Not_

“Door!”

_It_

They all charged towards the door, the lights coming through the cracks only just visible.  Marian reached it first, only the slam against it when it wouldn’t open.

“Move,” Annabelle said.  Her hand lingered on Marian’s arm for a moment, before pulling a bobby pin out of her own hair.

Marian pushed Saber and Cordelia against the wall, and put herself between them and the open room.  She scanned the room, eyes watching for anything.

“Got it yet?” she called back.

“I do need time for this.”

Marian took a deep breath.  Movement caught her attention.  Her hand grasped at her side for the service weapon she wasn’t carrying.

“We don’t have time, baby,” she said, forcing calm into her voice.

“I can’t just speed this up.”

“I know, but please try.”

A figure formed from the shadows.  It jerked as it moved towards them, each motion unnatural.

“We can always run again,” Saber spoke up.  “That’s an option, right? Running?”

“I can’t run,” Cordelia said.

“I will carry you out of here if I have to.”

“For the love of God, shut up.”

Pete’s eyes went wide.  He clamped his hands over his mouth.

Helena blew a lock of hair out of her face.  She took a deep breath, and held it in.  The wooden piece moved slowly.  The tower shook.  She froze.  

Everyone leaned forward, breaths held.

One second, two second…

The tower stilled.

Helena let go of the block.  She stepped away from the table and breathed quickly.  She shook her hands and took a few steps.  A moment later, she took another breath and stepped back forwards.

Leena smiled and started narrating again.  “You force your focus away from your bickering companions, and feel for the catch in the lock.”

The block slid free.  The tension released.  Helena let out her breath, and placed the block on the top of the tower.

“You feel the click, the door swings open,” Leena continued.  “It opens to a well-lit staff area behind the ride.  A green exit sign is pointing to the right.”

“We rush inside,” Claudia said.  “The last person closes the door behind them.”

“Who is the last person?” Leena asked.

“I have a broken ankle, so probably me,” Claudia replied.

“No, we would make sure you get in sooner,” Myka countered.  “I’m last.  I keep my eyes on the figure the entire time.”

Leena smiled and nodded.  “The light coming through the door illuminates the figure.  It’s one of the animatronics, or, what appears to be half-human, half-animatronics.  It’s skin is both flesh and latex.  Red and black liquid coat it’s clothes.  Two eyes - one real, one fake - bore into you, freezing you in place, and keeping your attention from the other one, rising from the water.”

“What?” Helena cut in.  “Get out of there!”

“You don’t notice anything is wrong until you hear a scream and a splash.”

Helena’s eyes went wide, her head snapped towards Myka.

Leena continued without pause.  “Marian is in the water with one animatronic.  The other is still walking towards the rest of you.”

“I tell Cordelia and Saber to head towards the exit.”

“No,” Claudia cut in.  “Splitting up is the worst idea ever.  It never works.”

“You’re injured, and I can’t leave Marian behind.”

“So we wait.”

“At least wait in the hallway, with the door closed.”

“No way,” Pete cut in.  “The door stayed open, or it’ll lock on us or get stuck or something.”

Helena groaned.  “Just stay put.”

Claudia crossed her arms and glared at the older woman.  “Fine.”

With a chuckle, Leena turned to Myka.  “You’re in the water, a hand around your ankle.  You have a moment to save yourself.”

“Instinct, I kick at it.”

“Pull.”

Myka took a deep breath and nodded.  She leaned towards the tower and began to test the blocks.

Claudia moved to the couch on the other side of the room, knuckle between her teeth.  Pete backed away from the table, hands over his ears.  Steve sat calmly next to Leena, his character, Kam, already dead.

Helena watched Myka without blinking.  Her knuckles turned white from her grip on her chair.

Myka found a loose block - an edge piece a quarter of the way down the tower - and started to push it.

“You never knew how deep the water in a ride could be,” Leena narrated.  “You’re fully submerged.”

The block moved freely for the first few centimeters.  Myka kept her touch light, the motion slow.

“You kick out, but, in the dark, only hit water.”

Everyone held their breath as the tower wavered.  Myka pulled away, her eyes not leaving the tower as it steadied.  She took a deep breath and moved back in.

“Another hand joins the first.  They’re pulling at you, working their way up your leg.”

Myka reached around the tower, and began to pull the block free.  The piece above it shifted.  She froze.

“You manage to connect with something, but it only makes the thing pause for a moment.”

Myka tilted her head back, lip between her teeth, then started again.  She wiggled the block slightly, trying to compensate for the shifting of the other piece.

“Your head is pounding.  Your lungs are screaming for air.  You don’t know how long you’ve been under, or how far down you are.”

The block slid free.  The tower wobbled.

Myka held the piece tight in her fist, waiting for the wobbling to stop.

“You manage to kick it again.”

Wobbling

“And again.”

Wobbling

“And again.”

It stopped.  Myka quickly, but gently put the piece on the top of the tower.

“One more kick causes it to, loose it’s grip.  You frantically make your way to the surface, the explosion from the destroyed machine below pushing you upwards.  That first breath is the best you’ve ever had, only to be hampered as water splashes into your mouth, and you realize where you are.”

“Fuck,” Myka muttered.

“What?” Helena asked.  “Where is she?”

“In water,” Myka replied.  “With a fear of drowning.”

A variety of of curses and moans came from around the room.

Leena smiled and gestured to the tower.  “You need to pull again to keep your composure and make it to the edge.”

A few minutes, a successful composure pull from Myka, and a few pulls from Helena to defeat the animatronic later, Leena turned to Claudia and Pete.

“You watch as Annabelle destroys the animatronic,” she said.  “She helps Marian out of the water, then they both push the animatronic into the water before it detonates.  Saber wanders down the hall a bit, finding a map of the tunnel system beneath the park.  The exit isn’t far.  Once the others get back, you could all be out in less than thirty minutes.”

“If the rest of the world hasn’t also gone crazy,” Claudia muttered.

Leena gave a small smile, but otherwise ignored the comment and continued.  “You hear Cordelia cheer, and turn back to her.  For a moment relief washes over you at the realization that something good has happened, then you notice a figure on the other side of Cordelia, moving closer and closer.”

Pete groaned.  He took a step back, and slumped against the wall.  At Leena’s next words, however, he bolted back up.

“It’s Kam.”

They all turned to Steve, who was looking at Leena.

“It’s who?”  he questioned.

“Kam, only not, at the same time.”

Claudia gasped.  “They animatized Kam!”

Leena nodded.

Pete turned to Claudia.  “I call out to you.  Run!  Go!”

“Dude, I have a broken ankle.”

Leena rolled her eyes.  “You turn, see Kam, and try to run anyway.  Your ankle gives out after a few steps.  You collapse.  You can hear Kam’s steps growing closer.  One step the squeak of their sneaker, the next a thud of metal.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.”

I get onto my hands and knees,” Claudia said.  “Try to crawl away.”

“And I run back,” Pete jumped in.

“You have no weapons, no fighting experience,” Leena told him.  “What do you do?”

Pete looked from Claudia, to Steve, to the tower.

“I know how to detonate them,” he slowly said.

“You do,” Leena said.

“No,” Claudia cried.  “You can’t.”

Pete took a breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped to the table.

“I rush the Kamatronic, get them a good distance from Cordelia, then detonate them.”

He closed his eyes, and reached out to topple the tower.

Everyone stared at the fallen bricks.

“Saber managed to get Kam far enough to keep Cordelia safe from the explosion, but not from watching her brother get torn apart.”

“You fucking idiot!” Claudia yelled.  “Why?  Why the fuck would you do that?”

“I couldn’t let them kill you!” Pete yelled back.

“You didn’t have to die for it!”

“What else was I supposed to do?  Huh?  I’m just a kid!  I can’t even drink legally, and this monster thing that used to be human is going at my sister!”

“What is going on here?”

They all jumped at Artie’s voice.  Pete knocked a few blocks onto the floor.  
Artie stood in the doorway, looking from each person, to the next, to the blocks.

“Jenga?”

They all glanced at each other.

“Sure,” Pete replied.

Artie rolled his eyes, and left the room, muttering to himself.

They all watched him until he was gone, then burst out laughing.  
“Alright, Saber,” Myka said, nudging Pete.  “You knocked the tower down with you heroic sacrifice, you get to rebuild it.”

He let out a groan, but grabbed the cardboard piece and started to put the blocks in it.

Myka stood and turned to Helena.  “Snacks?”

Helena smiled, nodded, and followed her.

“This is certainly interesting,” Helena said as they walked into the kitchen.

“It is,” Myka agreed.

Helena smiled, grabbed Myka and pushed her against the counter.  She pressed against Myka.

“You just have to be afraid of drowning,” she purred, laughter tinging the edge of her voice.

“Tragic backstory,” Myka replied.  “Bad experience on a lake.”

“Get a room,” Claudia said as she walked into the kitchen.  She didn’t even look at them, just headed straight to the fridge.

“We did, darling,” Helena replied.  “Until you joined us.”

Claudia pulled a case of cream soda from the fridge.

“Pete finished rebuilding the tower, so keep the make out short.”

Myka blushed, but Helena pushed up to kiss her.  She was smiling when she pulled back, and Claudia was gone.

“We better go before she sends Pete after us,” Myka said.

“Let them wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's been ages since I've written Warehouse 13, or Bering and Wells, so i'm not liking how it came out, at least at the end. I also kinda rushed it at the end, cause I wanted to get it up. I like the first part, at least.
> 
> Dread is really fun though, you end up pacing, and all jumpy, and refuse to touch the table, then you die, and you just sit there all chill, then you get brought back, and you have to pull as a zombie thingy, and are torn cause you don't want to fail, but don't want to kill your friends.
> 
> It's a wonderful game
> 
> Check it out


End file.
